Apron Strings
by AddieGreysPPPlover9119
Summary: AU; 6x06. One shot. Based on the upcoming episode of PPP with the same title. Addison struggles with the terms of her open adoption when Henry's mother Judy shows up wanting to be more involved in her young son's life. Addisam/Ella centric. T rated because well, I rate all of my fanfics T Lol.


"Apron Strings"

**a/n: So, I got inspired to do this(as a role play storyline and as a fanfic) when I saw the synopsis for the Addison-centric episode of PPP. If you haven't seen it Google it. Anywho, the title of this fanfic is the same as the title of the episode. It's a little bit AU but, I think you'll like it. I should mention that Judy's POV is all past tense, while Addison's POV is present tense.**

**Happy Reading,**

**Xx**

* * *

"Dr. Montgomery, are you _sure_ you want this to be an open adoption?" Georgia Clemmons asked the redheaded Neonatal surgeon as she oversaw the adoption of young Henry Fitzgerald(soon to be Forbes Montgomery).

"Yes, I'm sure. I definitely want Henry to know who his biological mother is" Addison said as she signed along the dotted line which would officially make baby Henry, Henry Archer Forbes Montgomery.

11 Months Later

So much has changed for Addison Forbes Montgomery since adopting Henry. She's now engaged to Sam Bennett, who decided to adopt Henry, changing his name again to Henry Forbes Montgomery-Bennett, but it wouldn't be official until after the wedding, but things were being processed, making them one step closer. Pete Wilder is dead, Mark Sloan was in a plane crash and almost died, nearly leaving 7 year-old Ella and 1 and a half-year old Sofia fatherless. Amelia relapsed on drugs, her fiancé overdosed on drugs and died, she was pregnant, but her baby was born without a brain and his organs were donated. Charlotte King is pregnant, with triplets, Cooper's son Mason, lost his mother, Sheldon Wallace has prostate cancer. Yes, a lot of things have changed, quite drastically for the most part but, Addison and Sam seem to be stronger than ever. That is, until a woman from Addison's past shows up.

It's Sunday, a traditional, self proclaimed "Lazy Sunday" for the blended family of 4. This Sunday was spent at Griffith Park. It has been perfectly planned out. They lazily lay in bed this morning, Ella and Henry nestled in between Sam and Addison, as places to enjoy the beautiful California sun are discussed. Ella naturally suggests the beach, but, her mother wants to venture outside of their majestic beach house this Sunday. Sam suggests a museum, but that idea is rejected almost immediately with Addison citing, "Do you _really_ think that _these two _are going to behave in _museum, _Sam?" In the end, Addison's idea for a fun day at the park topped off with a picnic is the final verdict.

The redhead and her lover are snuggled on a nearby bench, Sam's strong arm holding Addison close as she lazily rests her bare legs across his lap. They talk and laugh softly, keeping a close eye on the little blonde girl and her brother running around on the playground. Their talk of a spring wedding is cut short when Addison sees a woman staring at Henry from a distance.

"Addie, everything okay?" Sam asks his eyes following hers as the woman makes eye contact with Addison, making her gasp.

"Baby?"

"That woman, that's, Sam, that's Henry's mother" Addison whispers.

"His mother?"

"Yeah"

"Addie, are you sure-"

"Sam, I delivered her son, I know what Judy Fitzgerald looks like" Addison says standing up, smoothing out her knee length Coral colored YSL sun dress before walking towards her playing children.

"Addison" Sam calls out

"I'll be right back" she tells him, not looking back.

By the time she reaches her children, Henry is running towards her as fast as his little legs can carry him. Instantly, out of pure instinct, Addison picks him up and holds him close to her, breathing in his scent.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" 7 year old Ella asks

"Nothing sweetie. You stay here okay? I see someone I know. I'm gonna go talk to her" Addison says, shifting Henry on her hip as she starts to walk away

"You're taking Henry?"

"Yeah, my um, my _friend_, hasn't seen Henry since he was born and, I think she'd like to see him"

"Oh. But, who am I supposed to play with?"

"Why don't you ask Sam to play with you baby"

...

Judy Fitzgerald is nervous. She's been debating on whether or not she should call the redhead for months now. Actually, she's been debating calling her since a few weeks after Henry was born. Judy wasn't a bad person. She was just a young college student with a pile of student loans who fell in love with a guy. Danny, that's Henry's real father's name. Daniel actually, Daniel Marquis Austin. Judy loved Danny, loves him(they're together again). When she found out she was pregnant, it seemed as if the 23 year old's world stopped. She was 23, a senior in college, working 2 jobs, struggling to pay rent as well as send money back home to help out her father to help out with her younger siblings.

Her mom Sara, died of cervical cancer when she was 18, leaving her father Lenny, (who had been hit hard due to the economic recession, without a job, as well as his wife's medical bills, which remain unpaid because the family has lost their health insurance.) widowed with 3 children; Judy, the oldest, her brother Mikey, age 11, and 7 year old Lena. Judy was a smart girl, graduating in the top percent of her high school class. She received scholarships and financial aid but, it wasn't enough to help pay for school. Judy started at USC a year after she graduated high school, deciding to hold off on going to college to work and support her family. When she did enroll at SC the following fall, she made the deans list and worked 2 jobs so that she could support herself as well as send money back home to help out her father.

She met Danny her junior year. Their love was quick. After 4 months of dating, Judy moved in with him. It was a bit of a stretch, since Danny shared an apartment, with 4 of his cousins. Their space was limited to one bedroom, a very small bedroom at that(about the size of an average college dorm), 2 bathrooms, which they shared with Danny's cousin Shevan, her boyfriend Trey, his cousin Julian, his girlfriend Montana, their young son Miguel, his cousin Lester, and his cousin Shenay who was 7 months pregnant, and her boyfriend Juan, bringing the total number of people living in the 4 bedroom apartment to 10. Rent wasn't cheap, with each roommate paying about $375 to make up for the $1,500 rent that was due at the end of the month. Judy, being a good girlfriend, decided to go half with Danny on his share of the rent.

Things were complicated. Dealing with her living situation, struggling to make ends meet, along with sending money home to help her family, plus, staying on top of the ever mounting student loans that had racked up over time. Having a baby couldn't be apart of that plan, so of course Judy was devastated when she found out she was pregnant. Danny initially bailed on her, which meant that Judy was on her own. She moved out of Danny's apartment and into a small one room studio apartment. The rent was cheap, much cheaper, because it was in a lower socioeconomic part of town, which could be classified as "the ghetto".

She was on the fence between abortion and adoption, because keeping the baby when she could barely afford to take care of herself, wasn't an option. She did her research on abortions and, seeing that she had no health insurance, she wouldn't be able to come up with the mandatory $500 dollars to have the abortion. Plus, in Judy's eyes, killing the baby seemed so inhumane when there was someone out there who desperately wanted a child. She went through the pregnancy alone, going to the local clinic for all of her check ups, doing everything she could to make sure her baby was healthy. Then, she found out she was having a boy. _Then_, she got attached. Her plan was to put the baby up for adoption and not look back; but knowing that she was having a little boy, a little boy she named Henry, made things all too real for her.

...

She went into labor early one morning. It was beautiful outside. Her water broke while she was standing in line at star bucks, which was conveniently just down the block from St. Ambrose Hospital. She'd told the paramedics that she had no insurance but, lucky for her, Obamacare was in full effect, meaning that St. Ambrose couldn't deny her medical treatment. Her OB for the day? Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery. She was pretty, scratch that, Dr. Montgomery was _gorgeous_. Her sparking blue, green, she couldn't tell, colored eyes and her red hair really made her stand out. Even in the standard dark violet colored scrubs, Judy could tell that Dr. Montgomery was rich, _very_ rich.

She had a smile that made the young woman very comfortable when she walked into the room.

"Good Morning Judy, I'm Dr. Montgomery and I'll be delivering your baby today" Addison said as she began looking at Judy's chart.

"It says here that you went into labor while standing in line at Starbucks" Addison said chuckling.

"Yeah, I was craving one of those strawberry and cream fraps, they're amazing" Judy told her.

"My daughter loves those. Whenever she has to come into the hospital with me, we _have_ to stop at Starbucks" Addison said

"You have a daughter?"

"Yeah, Ella, she just turned 7 a couple of weeks ago" Addison said pulling her iPhone from her top scrub pocket to show Judy a picture of a blonde haired 7 year old little girl with eyes resembling her mother's, and a man who appeared to be her father.

"She looks like your husband" Judy said

"Oh no, Mark and I, Ella's father we, we weren't married. It's complicated" Addison said

"I get it. My son's father bailed too"

"Oh no, no. Mark didn't bail we-Mark was best friends with my ex husband"

"Oh, _Ohhh_" Judy said, understanding what Dr. Montgomery meant

"So you two…"

"We were together, for a while back in Seattle"

"You're from Seattle?"

"No, No. I'm originally from Connecticut but, I went to med school at Columbia and did my residency at a hospital in Manhattan. I moved to Seattle not long after I found out I was pregnant. Ella was born in Seattle and we lived there until she was 2 and a half. Then, I got an offer to work at a private medical practice here and I took it. Mark stayed in Seattle working as the head of Plastic Surgery at the hospital we worked at. Ella flies to see him every other weekend"

"Oh. You two must get along pretty well, you and Ella's dad"

"Yeah, we do. We've been friends since Med School and, he's an amazing father" Addison said as she looked at Judy's chart again.

"It says you're having a boy?"

"Mmhmm. I'm gonna name him Henry, after my grandfather" Judy told her

"Henry, I like that name. If I had a little boy, I'd name him Henry, or Carson" Addison smiled as she exited the room.

Judy's labor was hell but, Addison was there to coach her through the entire thing.

"Come on Judy you're almost there" Addison encouraged her. Judy had been pushing for just over an hour and was almost done. While she was pushing, a dark haired surgeon walked into the room.

"Hey, you paged?" The dark haired woman asked Addison

"Yeah, thought you should see this" Addison calmly replied

"What's happening?" The woman, whom Judy would later learn was Dr. Amelia Shepherd, Addison's former sister-in-law, asked

"Just your garden variety miracle" Addison replied as Amelia walked over to Judy.

"It's okay, you can do this…"

'Judy' Addison mouthed to her

"I'm just here for moral support" Amelia said to Judy

"I'm having a-oh, a boy" Judy told Amelia as another contraction hit.

"He's almost here…push….good" Addison said smiling as the baby was born.

"He's beautiful Judy, congratulations" Addison smiled as she handed baby Henry off to the nurses to be cleaned and weighed.

...

For hours, Judy held her son. He was so beautiful, she thought to herself. He was so beautiful and deserved so much more than the life she was going to give him. In that moment, Judy decided to put her son up for adoption. She called the adoption agency and soon, a woman named Georgia Clemons was assigned to her case.

"Now, you're sure you wanna do this?" Georgia asked

"I'm sure" Judy nodded as she looked through a book of potential parents for her child but stopping once she saw the name:

_Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery_

Apparently, Georgia saw the change in Judy's face and it made her walk closer.

"Everything okay?"

"Uh yeah it's just, this lady, Dr. Montgomery, she delivered my son today" Judy said

"She is a doctor at this hospital" Georgia said

"You know her?"

"I'm actually her worker"

"What can you tell me about her?"

"She's a nice woman. Lives on the beach, has a young daughter named-"

"Ella. She said her name was Ella and that she's 7" Judy said

"That's right. She's a nice woman, she really is. She's a great doctor too. She's a neonatal surgeon, one of the best in the country apparently. She comes from money, lots of money; her mother was a Forbes, died last year. Her father's a doctor and a professor. Her brother's a neurologist" Georgia said as Judy stared at Addison's picture. It was fate, wasn't it? That Judy went into labor at the Starbucks just a block away from St. Ambrose, even though she lived on the other side of town? Wasn't it also fate that Addison was the OB her delivered her son and now she was in this book of prospective mothers?

"Its meant to be" Judy whispered

"What was that?"

"I said. It's meant to be. Could you, call Dr. Montgomery, I'd like to speak to her"

"You wanna speak to Dr. Montgomery?"

"Yes. I choose her. I want her to adopt my son"

It wasn't long before that, that Addison Forbes Montgomery was walking into Judy's hospital room.

"Judy?" She said in astonishment

"I couldn't believe it when I saw your picture. I figured, it's meant to be, right? Do you wanna hold him?" she asked as Addison stood there slightly shocked by what was happening.

* * *

Addison's heart is literally beating out of her chest as she finally approaches Judy. It's been 11 months since the young girl had given her son up for adoption.

"Judy" Addison says softly

"Dr. Montgomery" Judy says softly

"Addison's just fine" The redhead replies as she notice Judy's eyes focusing on the baby

"His name is Henry. Henry Archer Montgomery-Bennett" Addison tells her

"Henry?" Judy says, tears beginning to fill her eyes as the redhead nods

"I told you, I liked the name Henry for a boy" Addison says smiling

"Can I ask-"

"He's 11 months old. He started walking about a month and a half ago. He says a few words here and there. He's really bright. When I first got him, the only way he'd go to sleep is if I stood out on my deck and rocked him. I live on the beach, so the sound of the waves seemed to calm him" Addison says

"You said his last name's Montgomery-Bennett?"

"Yeah. I'm getting married and my fiancé Sam, decided to adopt him" Addison says just as Henry starts to get restless

"Okay buddy, I know you're tired but first, there's someone I want you to meet Henry. See that lady right there, that's Judy, can you say hi to Judy" Addison says speaking softly to the little boy

Judy's nervous, Addison can tell so, she tries to make things a bit easier for her.

"Would you like to hold him?"

"Could I?"

"He's your son Judy-"

"No, he's your son, Addison"

"But you'll _always _be his mother" Addison tells her before she hands Henry to her. Seeing Henry in Judy's arms makes the redhead a little nervous. She knows that Judy would never take Henry from her(and she can't. Not with the way Addison's lawyers have the adoption set up) but, there's still that twinge of doubt that when Henry gets older, he won't look at her as his mom.

"Hi, Hi Henry. He's so beautiful" Judy whispers

"He looks just like you" Addison says quietly

"I know that you don't really have to agree to this but, I'd like, I'd like to be apart of his life" Judy says to Addison. This really takes the redhead by surprise. Technically, she doesn't really have to say yes to this but, there's something about Judy that causes Addison to agree to this.

"Why don't you come by my place and, we'll talk. I'd like to get to know you a little better" Addison tells her

"I'd like that" Judy replies.

...

Later on in the afternoon, Judy arrives at Addison's house. Almost immediately she feels out of place. Addison lives in Malibu, right off of the Pacific Cost. She wasn't lying when she said she "lived on the beach", hell, the beach was her back yard. Ringing the doorbell, the redhead opens the door, looking rather casual in a pair of Victoria's secret pair of sweats, a simple white cotton top with her hair pulled into a bun.

"Judy, hi" Addison says softly

"Hi"

"I just put Henry down for his nap" Addison says motioning towards the baby monitor that was in her hand.

"It's fine"

"Sam, Ella and I were out on the deck" Addison says as they walk through the house.

Walking through the beautifully decorated house, she can tell that Addison has good taste, expensive taste. Her initial thought was that Addison seemed a bit snobbish and was probably raising Henry that way. However, the pictures of Ella and Henry that plaster nearly every wall, Ella's artwork and A pluses on her tests, as well as the array of toys that are all over the house, change her mind.

"Sorry it's such a mess around here. Today's 'Lazy Sunday' " Addison explains

"Lazy Sunday?"

"Yeah. Today is the one day out of the week that Sam and I both have off of work. We run a practice, as well as working at the hospital when needed"

"So, who watches Ella and Henry?" Judy wants to know

"Well, since I'm not really ready for Henry to go to daycare just yet, I hired a nanny to watch him while Sam and I are at the practice and while Ella's at school. One of us picks Ella up after school and she's at the practice with us until we get home around 5. Sam usually makes dinner and Ella helps. After dinner we make sure Ella's homework is finished and then, we just relax until it's time for bed"

"Wow, that's a pretty down packed routine" Judy nods

"It's pretty laid back around here. Most weekends are really lazy. We lounge around in bed and play with the kids, unless we get called in. Sundays however, that's designated family time. We get up, bring the kids into bed with us where we have breakfast and, decide on what kind of outing we want to do for the day. We've ended up at Disneyland quite a few times. Pretty much anywhere the kids wanna go, that's what we spend the whole day doing whatever it is they wanna do" Addison informs her

"I like that, Lazy Sundays" Judy says smiling.

Motioning for the young girl to take a seat on the couch, Addison asks the initial question she's been wondering for hours.

"I hope you don't me asking but, why'd you give him up? You seemed so sure you were going to keep him that day"

Judy lets out an unsteady breath as she sits up straight, looking the redheaded neonatal surgeon in the eye as she speaks.

"I'm not a bad person. I'm not irresponsible woman. I'm from New Jersey, a small town. My father worked for the auto industry as a mechanic my mom was a librarian. I'm a good person Addison. I come from a family where we went to church and we were taught that you should be married before you had kids. My parents were married for almost 25 years. My mom got diagnosed with cervical cancer when I was 17. 6 months after that, she was dead. Then, my dad lost his job because the auto industry went broke so that mean he was a single dad raising me, my brother Michael and my sister Lena alone plus, we didn't have health insurance since my dad lost his job so that meant my mom's medical bill were unpaid, are unpaid. I'm a smart girl. I graduated in the top 10 percent of my class. I ended up going off to school a year after graduating because I wanted to stick around and help my dad with the bills and things. I went to USC, I have student loans that are piling up on me. I work 2 jobs just to make ends meet plus, I send money back home to my dad to help out with things around the house. I met Henry's dad Danny, his real name's Daniel, we met at the start of junior year. Everything happened so fast; We were living together in a 4 bedroom apartment with his cousins and their boyfriends and kids, there were only 2 bathrooms, which had to be shared by a total of 10 people. Everyone pitched in the rent, which was 375 a piece to make up for the 1500 that was due at the end of the month. Danny and I, we love each other. He's a great guy, in fact, Henry looks more like him than me. When I found out I was pregnant, Danny initially bailed. He said he couldn't handle it because that wasn't the way he planned on bringing a kid into the world. We broke up and I moved out and into this, really small, dirty little grungy 1 bedroom studio in Compton. Initially, I was gonna have an abortion but, with no health care, I couldn't come up with the 500 dollars planned parenthood wanted for the abortion but then I looked up some information on abortions and, I just found it to be so cruel and, inhumane because, there are so many people out there who actually want to have kids. Then, I was gonna put him up for adoption but then, I found out he was a boy and, I got attached. I had every intention on keeping my son, I did but, when I looked at him, I knew I couldn't give him the life he deserved so, I called the adoption agency and, ironically, you were in the book of prospective mothers. If I could have kept him, I would have because, these past 11 months, knowing that my child is alive, and that someone else is raising him, he's calling someone else mommy, it hurts" Judy says, wiping away a few tears.

"I don't think you're a bad person" Addison replies, wiping away a few of her own stray tears.

"I think, that you're an amazing young woman because most girls you're age, they couldn't have given their baby up like you did. You put Henry's best interests first and, even though it was hard, you did what was best for your son" Addison tells her.

"I just, I wanna know something about the woman who's raising my son" Judy says softly

"Well, I'm not perfect. My past is ugly. It's messy and unflattering. I'm a cheater. I cheated on my husband, with his best friend. I got pregnant and, the timing and with Mark being the father, I almost had an abortion. I went to the clinic and they called my name. I sat there in the exam room waiting for the doctor to come in, and I pulled out my ultrasound from a few days ago, and I looked at it, and I just, I knew I couldn't do it. I got my clothes on and left. I left Mark. I got a call from my old mentor who was in Seattle about a case and he asked me to come. I also found out that that's where my husband went the night he caught me in bed with his best friend. He came home and caught us, in the act. He didn't say anything he just, closed the door and walked away. I tried to talk to him but, he threw me out of our brownstone. Tossed my clothes out onto the doorstep and then he physically removed me from our house and into the pouring rain. He eventually let me back in but, he left New York. My marriage wasn't a great one. My husband and I were both career driven. We were young, we met in med school and we both had ambitions to be these great surgeons. I come from a family of doctors so, but it wasn't really expected of me to become a doctor, because Forbes women were supposed to be pretty and marry money and raise kids and do fundraisers and charity events. I didn't want that. I went to college and med school and I worked my ass off to be the best. I think that's why Derek fell in love with me, because I didn't use my family's name and money to make something of myself, I worked hard for it. Derek and I got married a month after med school and started our surgical internships not long after. We eventually took off in our fields. Things were great for a while. We were 'DerekandAddison' but then, Derek's career became more important than anything else. It put a strain on our marriage. He missed things, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries. He didn't bother to talk to me any more. We didn't fight we just, stopped existing. He started sending Mark in his place because I guess he got annoyed with the fact that I kept bugging him about trying to save our marriage. Somewhere along the lines of Mark and I spending so much time together, I fell in love with him. I wasn't gonna tell him about the baby, but then I did. He was so happy. He went out and bought this, Hanes, Yankees onesie and a calendar to mark the due date. When I decided to keep the baby and go to Seattle, I didn't tell Mark. I just, I left. I went to Seattle and divorced Derek and I was content on starting a new life with just me and my baby. But then Mark followed me to Seattle. We were a couple for a while but, we were just better off as friends. I got offered the job here and I took it. I came here and I started working and raising my daughter and I was happy but then, I fell in love, with my best friend's ex husband. I tried not to fall for him but, when you love someone, what can you do? Sam and me, it's been hard. He didn't want anymore kids at first and I did. I wanted to give Ella a little brother or sister. I found out after I moved here that I had low fertility issues, which meant it would be much harder for me to get pregnant. I tried IVF but, it didn't work which is why I settled on adoption. Judy, I'm nowhere near perfect but, I do love your son very much. He is…he's my whole world. I look at him sometimes and it freaks me out just how much I love him." Addison whispers as tears fall down her cheeks.

"I want, Danny and I we want to know him. We want to be apart of his life" Judy says to the redhead.

"I want him to know who you are, but understand that this is gonna be hard for me because, I know I'm not Henry's biological mother and I don't want him to grow up confused about where he comes from" Addison says

"You're afraid he'll love you less because you're not his real mom" Judy states

"Yeah" Addison nods tearfully

"Look, if this is gonna be too difficult for you then-"

"No, no, Judy, I agreed on an open adoption because, I know that when he gets older he's going to have questions about where he comes from, questions I won't be able to answer. I want you and Danny to be able to give him those answers" Addison tells her

"I'm afraid he'll love you more because I gave him away" Judy says, shedding more tears

"He won't love me more and I'm going to make sure that he knows that you did what you did with his best interests at heart, I promise you that"

* * *

1 Month Later

Judy Fitzgerald wakes up on this particular morning with a smile on her face. Today is her son's first birthday. Addison is throwing Henry a birthday party and she invited, insisted rather, that both Judy and Danny be present.

"Jude, you sure about this baby?" Danny asks as he walks out of the bathroom of their new apartment. Since initially meeting with Addison, things have changed drastically for them. The first thing is that Addison paid off all of Judy's student loans. Although she insisted that she could handle it, the redhead knew better. She paid off both Judy and Danny's student loans. Addison made sure that Danny, who was in medical school got some hands on training by working out a system with Charlotte where Danny could shadow some of the doctors at St. Ambrose twice a week. She also helped out Judy's father by paying off his late wife's medical bills and, ensuring that both Michael and Lena could go to college.

"I'm sure Danny, Addison said she wants us there" Judy said as she walked past him to go into the bathroom to fix her hair. With all of her student loans paid off, there was more money available to move into a much nicer apartment not too far from St. Ambrose.

"I just don't understand why she's being so nice to us" Danny said as he started getting ready for his young son's birthday party.

"She said she understands what it's like to have to make tough decisions"

"How does she understand? She grew up rich!" Danny argues

"She may be rich Danny but, she's nothing like most of those snobby rich people we know"

"She lives in Malibu Jude, tell me that ain't snobbish. I mean for all we know she could be raising our boy up to be-"

"She's raising him up to be a great man Daniel" Judy says as she emerges from the bathroom with her face made up and her hair perfectly styled.

"I just, I don't know her. I mean it's nice that she's doing all of this stuff for us but, I need to know who's raising my son" Danny says

"Come to the party and you'll see"

...

Everything has been going off without a problem or a hitch today. Things are really going well. Henry's happy, all of the decorations have been set up. Nothing bad has happened today, but Addison's still nervous. Today is the first day that she's going to meet Daniel and, according to Judy, Daniel has his doubts about the redhead who's been raising his son over the last year. What if Daniel doesn't like her? What if he thinks she's raising Henry wrong?

"How about you just breathe and relax" Sam tells her as she stands in front of the mirror in their bathroom.

"I hate that you can read me so well" Addison says staring at his reflection as his hands move to her waist.

"You love me even more because of it" Sam smirks just as Addison moves from his embrace and runs for the toilet to throw up.

"Okay seriously baby, you're worrying yourself sick. Judy likes you, Henry loves you, and Daniel will like you too" Sam tells her as she retches once again.

"You're, you're right Sam, I'm just, I worry too much" Addison says as she wipes her mouth before flushing the toilet and washing her hands.

A few hours later, the guests arrive. Everything is going perfectly. Henry really seems to be enjoying himself. Judy is spending time getting to know her young son while Daniel stands off in a corner and intently watches the redhead.

"She's a good woman" Sam Bennett says to Daniel

"She tell you to come over here and tell me that?" Daniel asks

"No. I'm saying it because I know her and I love her and, that little boy is my son so, I see her everyday, how she interacts with him. Addison is, an amazing mother man, I'm telling you what I know, not what I think" Sam says

"So, you and Addison are…"

"Engaged. We're getting married in the spring, at least that's what Addie keeps telling me" Sam says laughing as Daniel sees how Addison is really letting Judy be very interactive with Henry, even letting her help Henry open a few of his gifts.

"She seems like a good woman" Daniel says

"She is. See that little girl right there?" Sam says pointing at a blonde haired child running around with Henry

"That's Addison's daughter Ella and, speaking from experience, she'd die for that little girl. Addison would die for either of her children. I don't think I've ever seen a woman who loves her children as much as Addison does. I remember a couple weeks back when Henry got a fever. Now, Addison is a neonatal surgeon, knows all about babies, but when that little boy got sick, all of that logic and smarts when out the window and she was just a worried mom. She's scared I'll tell you that much" Sam says

"Scared? What's she scared of?"

"That you and Judy won't like her. That she's going to fail Henry. She's scared that when Henry gets older and begins to understand everything that, he'll love her less because she's not his real mom" Sam explains

"No. He's gonna love her, I can tell. He already adores her" Danny says as he watches Addison swing Henry around, a look of love ever present in the little boy's eyes.

"Danny! Come over here" Judy calls out to him

"Go on man, go met your son" Sam tells him

Daniel makes his way across the deck over to where Addison and Judy are sitting. Henry is sitting on Judy's lap looking at her intently as she talks to him.

"See that guy right there Henry? That's your dad too. You look just like him" Judy says just as Danny reaches them

"Daniel, hi, it's nice to finally meet you" Addison says standing and extending a hand for Danny to shake, which he takes.

"I just wanna say thank you, for everything you're doing for us and, thank you for taking our son. I can tell just by the way that he looks at you that, he loves you very much and I'm sure that you've been doing an excellent job raising him" Daniel tells the redhead which makes her smile

"Thank you Daniel, I um, that, that means a lot to me" Addison says just as Henry reaches for her.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" The little boy says which brings tears to the redhead's eyes

"Everything okay Addison?" Judy asks

"Uh yeah it's just, that's the first time he's ever said that" Addison says as Henry starts to whine a little.

"It's okay sweetie, mama's got you"

xxxx


End file.
